Polo Grounds [IV] / Brush Stadium (1911-1963)

[YankeeStadium1923]

T pologrounds.png he Polo Grounds Shuttle

[dstoffa]

I recently met a man who was a friend of Horace Stoneham.
He said that Horace told him that O’Malley offered Stoneham to take Los Angeles and the Dodgers would go to SF.
I had never heard or read that.

I don't believe it, unless he was just trying to convince Horace to go further west... which he HAD to do so he could go to Los Angeles...

[Lefty Bunter]

I recently met a man who was a friend of Horace Stoneham.
He said that Horace told him that O’Malley offered Stoneham to take Los Angeles and the Dodgers would go to SF.
I had never heard or read that.

[MrCubFan]

Looking through the past 260 pages, there are some clues.

On page 221 and again on 224 is a diagram produced by Osborn Engineering. It shows 338 + 95 = 433 to the left corner of the center field runway. That happens to be the previous distance conventionally given for center field. The diagram also shows 505 to some point in front of the clubhouse, a figure which turns up in some sources as the true center field distance. But we all know there was a 483 sign in straightaway center. That's 23 feet short of 505. So where exactly the 505 point was is uncertain, but it's drawn as if it were the catwalk in front of the clubhouse. More research needed on that.

Meanwhile, we have the diagram on page 234 which shows 425 (not 433) to that one corner, and 475 (not 483) to center field. 475 was also the posted distance during the Mets years. So why the discrepancy? The answer would seem to be in that 1931 article on page 239: The box seat area was expanded and home plate was moved forward 8 feet. So it seems likely that the proper center field distance from 1931 onward was 475, but the sign wasn't changed until 1962, when they apparently re-measured everything.

[MrCubFan]

Ruth used a very heavy bat by today's standards, and although the experts argue that heavy bats are less productive, Ruth contradicted that theory. He also had enormous wrists, which probably figured into it. All that manual labor in the orphanage might have helped. I'm fond of sluggers as you are. In relatively modern times, guys like Killebrew and Fielder could hit truly Ruthian shots, and they were not exactly fitness freaks. Jim Thome was like that too. Thinking back to verifiable long-distance slugging, consider the shot hit by Mantle which cleared the centerfield screen at Yankee Stadium, which was marked as 461 feet. Reggie Jackson's third homer of the final game in that Series against the Dodgers landed in about the same place. One of the longest I can recall, though, was Dave Kingman hitting the third porch roof up Kenmore Avenue at Wrigley. That was some power!

If I ever invent or acquire a time machine, I'll let you know and we can both go back. At the very least, investing in time machine technology could make you rich, if it works right. In the meantime, if anyone has ever seen a straight overhead view of the Polo Grounds with reasonably high resolution, please let us know!

[Matt The Hammer]

I love that there are so many stories of guys in the day hitting these moon shots. Some further than any current player can do. Makes you wonder if the guys then were just farm strong and all or maybe the stories are a little bit better than fact. Today's players are larger, stronger and way better trained at hitting baseballs far. Regardless, I love hearing the the stories.

If you go back in time, use a measuring wheel or even a laser to get the distances. Also, mind picking me up a few stocks?

[MrCubFan]

Something was said about Ruth not being fat. Generally, that's true. He was getting kind of porky in his last three or four seasons. But during his prime, he was never skinny but was in good shape - built like a slugger.

The Polo Grounds was/is a fascinating place. One enduring mystery is what the true outfield distances were. If I had a time machine, I'd go back there with a tape measure and figure out what was what. Center field, for example: 475? 483? 505? The only way to resolve it now would be to study a high-def straight overhead photo, if such a thing exists.

Some reports have said Joe Adcock was the first to knock a homer into the center field bleachers after the 1923 remodeling. But in the late 1940s, Luke Easter hit one out there for the Homestead Grays, which may have gone farther than Adcock's shot did. Those were some guys who could hit like Ruth!

[Matt The Hammer]

That picture of Ruth - You can see how the players wore their belts on their pants with the buckle off to the side. Makes sense to wear it off to the side when you're sliding headfirst.

One of the 12 year old players I coach said the other day that the field we were on had short lines like the Polo Grounds. Thought that was pretty cool to hear from a little dude.

[alpineinc]

Friday, August 8th,1941, only 4,267 (2,388 paid; Ladies' Day) on hand as Giants beat Phillies 3-2 in 11 on a walkoff 294-foot HR by Babe Young into the lower right field seats. Veteran Cy Blanton would be the hard-luck complete game loser for Philadelphia; battling arm injuries and alcoholism, he'd never win another game in the majors, was out of baseball by 1942 and passed away at the age of 37 in 1945.


pologround8-8-41.jpg

[SultanOfWhat]

This is one of the best images of Ruth in uniform, taken on his first day in pinstripes at the Polo Grounds.

Ruth Polo 1920.jpg

[Matt The Hammer]

Great picture. Babe was always called "fat". But he really wasn't. Wonder what the story is with this picture. Notice he has his spikes on too.

[Jgweiss]

I made a similar post in the Yankee Stadium thread. Getty Images now allows viewing and download of 2048-pixel photos of the Polo Grounds.

absolutely incredible. how great is this photo???

[SultanOfWhat]

I made a similar post in the Yankee Stadium thread. Getty Images now allows viewing and download of 2048-pixel photos of the Polo Grounds.

[Lefty Bunter]

The Giants had offices on 42d Street, I believe.

[3rdGenCub]

I know that the Giants team president's office was on the top floor of the CF clubhouse, plus I believe offices for a few other team senior officers. However, where were the offices for the more junior staff (tickets, concessions, accounting, etc.)? In pictures of the Polo Grounds looking down from Coogan's Bluff, there is a 3-story building jutting out from the exterior Polo Ground exterior walls behind home plate & down the 1b line. Could this be their location or were they located offsite like the Brooklyn Dodgers (circa 1947) had moved their team offices to building elsewhere in Brooklyn from Ebbetts?